Steel mill coiling reel



DCC. 2, L BRYN STEEL MILL comme REEL' A Filed Aug. 22, 193er.V 2sheds-sheet 1 INVENTGK Dec. 2, 1941. l. BRYN 2,264,872

STEEL MILL COILING REEL l Filed Aug. 22, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 PatentedDec. 2,

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ivor Bryn, Iletroit, Mich., assig'nor to McLouth Steel Corporation,Detroit, Mich., a corporation o! Michigan Application August Z2, 1939,Serial N0. 291,387

6 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for the hot rolling of strip metaland particularly concerns the construction of reels such as are used inconjunction with mills wherein back and forth through single or multiplemill stands, for the Ypurpose of ceiling the strip metal as it leavesthe stand andr alternately, for uncoiling the strip metal to permit itto enter the stand. An example of the type of mill here concerned isdisclosed in United States Patent No. 1,977,214.

In continuous mills, where the strip of metal is rolled back and forththrough the mill stands, reels are provided at opposite sides of thestands for alternately coiling and uncoiling the strip stock, to receivethe strip metal as it passes through the stands,.and to supply it to thestands again for the reverse operation. The purpose of the reels is toeconomize on space because of the obvious necessity of providing anexceptionally long space for the lengthening strip metal, and also toenable heating of the strip metal to -a temperature best suited foreificient rolling operations. As the strip lengthens the heat lossbecomes more rapid, and in order to maintain the strip at o. desiredtemperature the reels are disposed in furnaces.

Mounting the reels in furnaces and winding highly heated metal' thereonrequires that the shafts which support and rotate the reels be cooled,and it is the usual practice to cool the shafts by forming them hollowand circulating water therethrough. The result of these conditions isthat a wide variance in temperature is present between the centralregion of the reels and regions radially outward, and the internalpressure developed because of different conditions of expansion andcontraction causes destruction of the reels through cracking andchecking thereof.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a reel constructionin whichexpansion and/or contraction 'resulting from the zones ofvarying temperature are so controlled that the useful life o'f the reelis prolonged indeiinitely as far as the source of trouble is concerned.

More specifically, the main object of the invention is to provide a reelembodying a pair of disc-like elements mounted upon a hollow shaft andhaving a multiplicity of circumferentially spaced bars, uniting the twodisc-like elements, and extending parallel to the shaft is radiallyspaced relation thereto. The disc-like elements, being connecteddirectly to the shaft, are cooled in their central regions when water iscirculated rough the shaft, whereas the outer regions, be-

.ig subject both to the heat of the furnace and the metal is rolled Vacomparatively high sheet metal is fed thereto `in a direction almostofthe heated strip metal, is in a highly heated condition. In order toavoid cracking or checking of the disc-like elements, such as isordinarily caused by the internal pressures resulting from l unequalexpansion and contraction conditions in diierent regions, the .disc-likeelements are so formed that the destructive stresses are relieved.

When the reels are in use they are rotated at speed and the end of thetangential to the path which the transverse bars describe as they arerevolved. 'I'he direction of movement of the sheet metal is opposite tothe direction of movement of the bars, and as the end passes between twoadjacent bars it is abruptly bent, to hook over one of the bars, and isthen wound about the reel. This operation obviously imposes a suddenload on the reels, which must necessarily operate under the adverseconditions above mentioned, and necessitates a special construction andassembly of the disclike elements andcross bars. It is a further objectof this invention to provide a reel so constructed that, in addition toovercoming the problem resulting from heat conditions, it is capable oflong service under the adverse or sudden loading conditions. v

In the hot rolling oi sheet metal the removal of' scale is an importantfactor and this invention has as a still further object to provide areel construction which assists in the removal of scale without creatinga source of trouble in the passage of the sheetmetal through the millstand. In this respect, the sheet' metal is coiled about thecircumferentially spaced bars, and in the case of a reel having eightbarsas shown, the, coiled metal takes an octagonal form, or, in otherwords, is bent to provide eight creases. These creases assist in raisingthe scale.

With the above and other ends in view the invention is more fullydisclosed with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1is a side elevation of the reel,

Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 2--2 of Eg- 1,

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a plan v iew, partly broken away and in section, illustratingthe construction of one of the transverse bars,

Fig. 5 is an end view of one of the bars, and

Fig. 6 is a side View of one of the bars'.

More particularly, i designates a shaft having an axial passage 2extending therethrough and through which a cooling liquid is circulatedwhen the reel is placed in use. The shaft I has external splines 3thereon with which the internal splines 4 in the hub portions 5 of apair of disclike elements 6 engage. The two hub portions 5 are spacedaxially of the shaft by a sleeve 1, and are prevented from separating bycollars 8 which are secured to the shaft I.

The construction above described may best be seen with reference to Fig.3, wherein the assembly is illustrated in a cool or contractedcondition. The splines 3, as may be observed, project outwardly of theright hand disc-like element. This clearance is important 1n that itprovides for the relatively high degree of expansion which takes placewhen metal at a temperature higher than 1500J is coiled thereon.

A multiplicity of bars 9 connect the two disclike elements. These barsextend parallel to the shaft I, are circumferentially spaced equaldistances one from another, and each bar is spaced radially from theshaft. As is more clearly shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6, each bar as viewedin end elevation or transverse section has a straight wall I and convexor arched wall H, the two walls being joined by the rounded forward andrear edge portions I2 and I3. Between the edge portions I2 and I3 thewalls I0 'and II are united at each end thereof by a web Il, and eachweb has a bolt hole I therein. At each end of the wall I0 and adjacentthe forward edge I2 thereof are formed lugs I6 having bolt holes I'Itherein.

The web portions I4 at opposite ends of the bars 9 are secured torespective disc-like elements 6 by bolts I8 which extend through thebars and have nuts I9 on their outer ends, and the lugs I6 are securedto respective discs by bolts I8 and nuts I9'. After the assembly iscompleted the nuts I9 and I9' are welded in place. As may best be seenwith reference to Fig. 3 the bolts I8 and I8' are so positioned that theat faces I Il of the bars 9 are disposed at an angle of approximately 30with respect to a radial line touching the forward edge I2 thereof, withthe result that a portion of tlie arched wall II of each bar is placedin outwardly diverging relationship with the flat wall I0 of the nextadjacent bar, as indicated by the numeral 20 on Fig. 3. When inoperation, the strip metal is fed in the direction of the arrow on Fig.1 and the end thereof enters the comparatively large mouth of one of thediverging spaces 20 as the reel is rotated in the direction of the arrowon Fig. 2. As the reel is revolved, one of the bars engages the end ofthe sheet metal, causing it to be bent over the forward edge of the bar.The extremity of the sheet metal tends, of course, to pull away from thebar it engages, and the next adjacent bar acts to retain the sheet metalin hooked relation with the first bar.

The arrow 2| on Fig. l illustrates the approximate line of movement ofthe sheet metal as it moves into engagement with the reel. The brokenline 2Ia, on Fig. 3, illustrates the condition of the sheet metal afterit has engaged the reel, and after the reel has been moved through partofl a revolution.

Reels constructed as above described are quite massive, the weight ofthe metal exceeding two tons, and experience has taught that theextremely high temperatures of the metal being coiled and of thefurnaces in which the reels are mounted, necessitates cooling of theshaft I in order that the heat shall not reduce the strength thereofbelow a safe degree. When the shaft is cooled, however, the disc-likeelements crack and check, due to internal stresses created by unequalheat and expansion. The cracks are f irregular in form but extendgenerally radially inward, from the periphery of the disc-like elementsand finally to the hub, thus rendering the reels useless and resultingin hazardous conditions of operation in view of the high speed movementof the reels.

The disc-like elements E are provided with a multiplicityr of stressrelieving slots 22 which, as may be observed upon reference to Fig. 3,are disposed with one extending inwardly between each pair of bars 9.The slots 22 extend inwardly a distance approximately one-half theradial distance from the inner splined surface of the hubs 5 to thelargest radial dimension of the disc-like elements. 'Ihe elements I arealso provided with a multiplicity of stress relieving apertures 23 of anumber equal to the number of slots. and offset from the radial lineupon which the slots 22 are formed. The outer portions of the slotsdiverge in a direction such that one wall parallels the convex walls ofthe adjacent bars, and the other walls follow around the other ends ofthe adjacent bars.

When the radially outward portions of the elements 6 are highly heatedits natural tendency is, of course, to expand circumferentially andradially. However, with the hub portions comparatively cool, the innerregions do not expand at the same rate and result in a tendency for theouter metal to pull away from the inner metal. With the stress relievingslots 22 and apertures 2K3 present the outer layer of metal may expandcircumferentally without setting up destructive stresses.

Although a specific embodiment of the invention has been illustrated anddescribed it will be understood, of course, that various changes may bemade within the scope of the appended claims without departing from thespirit of the invention,l and such changes are contemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. A reel for coiling hot strip metal comprising a shaft, axially spaceddisc-like elements mounted on said shaft for rotation therewith and forsliding movement axially thereof a multiplicity of receiving bars forthe hot strip metal extending parallel to the shaft and radially .spacedtherefrom, said bars having their ends rigidly attached to respectivedisc-like elements.

said disc-like elements each having stress relieving cut outs extendingto the periphery thereof getween the points of attachment of adjacentars.

2. A reel for coiling hot strip metal comprising a shaft having axiallyspaced disc-like elements mounted thereon for rotation therewith and forsliding movement axially thereof, said shaft having a cooling passagetherethrough, and a multiplicity of strip metal receiving bars extendingparallel to the shaft and radially spaced therefrom, said bars havingtheir opposite ends rigidly attached to respective elements, saidelements each having stress relieving slots extending substantiallyradially outwardly to the peripheries thereof between all adjacent bars.

3. A reel for coiling hot strip metal comprising an externally splinedshaft, axially spaced internally splined disc-like elements on saidshaft, bars extending parallel to the shaft and radially spacedtherefrom, means securing opposite ends of said bars to respectiveelements, and means retaining said elements on the splines ing a shaft,axially spaced of said shaft for limited axial movementl relative to theshaft. n

4. A reel for coiling hot` strip metal comprising an externally splinedshaft, axially spaced internally splined disc-like elements on saidshaft, bars extending parallel to the shaft and radially spacedtherefrom, means securing opposite ends of said bars to respectiveelements, said means comprising bolts and nuts with the nuts welded inplace, and means retaining said elements on said shaft for limited axialmovement relative to theshaft.

5. A reel for coiling hot strip metal comprisdisc-like elements mountedo'n said shaft, a multiplicity of spaced bars radially spaced from theshaft, said bars each havinga substantially straight front wall and aconvex rear wall as viewed in transverse section, an elongate boltextending internally through each bar and secured at its ends to saidelements, and external means comprising external lugs on said bars andbolts extending through respective lugs and elements and securing saidbars to said elements with the straight walls angularly related to animaginary radial line touching the forward .tip thereof.

6.*A reel comprising a .splined shaft -having a passage therethrough fora cooling fluid, internally splined disc-like elements mounted on saidshaft and free to move axially thereof, means restricting axial movementof said elements` on said shaft, a multiplicity of spaced bars spacedradially from the shaft, eachbar having a vcomparatively at wall and aconvex wall with the two Walls integrally united at their forward andrear edges, means securing the ends of said bars to respective elementsfor rigidly spacing said elements, and stress relieving slots extendinginwardly from the peripheries of said elements and between adjacentpairs of bars..

f IVOR BRYN.

